This week we saw National Voter Registration Day, organised to encourage people over the age of 16 to get on the electoral roll. Details on how to register are on the Wiltshire Council website and, with voting participation lowest amongst those aged 18 to 24, this is an initiative I heartily support. During my year I visit many schools across the constituency and am always struck by the level of passion and interest in the burning issues of the day displayed by young people and how completely they reject the notion of mainstream politics as being “not for them”. But, all of the things politicians focus on relate to their lives – the commitment of this government to deal with Britain’s deficit now so they don’t have to tackle the problem as they grow older by giving more of their pay in taxes or seeing public services cut, or the commitment to build more houses so that owning a home can become a reality for everyone. Perhaps politicians are just poor at making the important relevant to those starting out in adult life and, as more of you get involved, the more we will be forced to change.

An issue that is raised in almost every conversation I have locally, with people of all ages, is how the country will get a grip on immigration and this week in Parliament we debated and passed the Immigration Bill, an important piece of legislation that will stop people using public services where they are not entitled to do so, reduce some of the factors which encourage people to come to the UK to claim benefits and make it easier to remove people who should not be here.

Hard-working people expect an immigration system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants and tough on those who flout the law and this Immigration Bill will help to deliver it.

Also this week I headed to Manchester to participate in Radio 4’s Women’s Hour and You and Yours where topics for debate included the spread of economic good news across the country and also the trends in food prices.

I pointed out that consumers do have a choice in the supermarket and, in many cases, select cheaper imported food rather than British food raised to higher standards by our local farmers and that 25 per cent of food we buy is thrown away. A return to compulsory cookery lessons in schools is a welcome initiative and with the floods potentially driving up the cost of local produce this summer, one that is more necessary than ever.